THE Thames Valley Air Ambulance was called out to hundreds of emergencies in Reading last year, figures reveal.

The charity was called out to Reading 360 times between October 1 2018 and September 30 2019.

Across Berkshire, in the same time period, they were called out to 1013 emergencies.

They also saw a year-on-year increase of 110 per cent across Berkshire, Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire.

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These figures are published following the recent launch of the third series of More4’s Emergency Helicopter Medics, at 9pm on Sunday evenings, which has followed the charity’s crew whilst attending patients.

The three most common types of incidents the crew attended were cardiac arrests (23 per cent), road traffic collisions (22 per cent) and accidental injury (19 per cent).

This significant year-on-year increase was only possible thanks to the charity choosing to become an independent health care provider, allowing the air ambulance service to significantly expand its emergency medical service.

The charity chose to take this step to further enhance its service for the communities across the Thames Valley.

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This was an incredibly important development for the charity as it allowed it to increase its resources to be able to respond to more patients, giving them the best possible chance of survival and recovery through getting the right vital treatment.

Furthermore, during the period in review, Thames Valley Air Ambulance’s crew administered enhanced pain relief to more than 680 patients.

These specialist drugs, carried on the helicopter and critical care response vehicles, are not available on traditional land ambulances. They allow the charity’s teams of paramedics and doctors to deliver advanced medical care to critically ill and severely injured patients.

Within minutes, the highly trained crew can perform hospital-level procedures at the scene of the incident, from blood transfusions to open-chest surgery to cardiac arrests.

The television programme, Emergency Helicopter Medics, highlights Thames Valley Air Ambulance’s vital work, and two other air ambulance services, as they bring hospital-level treatment to patients suffering from a range of potentially life-threatening illnesses and injuries.

Commenting on the enhancement of the service, Thames Valley Air Ambulance’s Chief Executive Amanda McLean said: "I’m incredibly proud of the fact that we have cared for so many more patients and I’m very grateful to our crew and staff who have worked so hard to make this possible.

"Patients are at the heart of everything we do, and we are continually striving to improve the care we provide.

"The changes we made last October allowed us to increase our resources allowing us to be ready to help more patients than ever before.

"We receive no government or national lottery funding and I’d like to thank the community that we serve for their generosity and support.

"It is that which enables us provide advanced critical care to people that live, work and travel in the Thames Valley."